Bucyrus PD nabs Detroit quartet suspected of passing counterfeit bills

Staff report
news@wbcowqel.com

There’s no rest for the wicked and neither was there any for the Bucyrus Police Department this weekend.

Officer Sam Caldwell responded to a report of a male trying to use a counterfeit $100 bill at the Bucyrus WalMart at midnight on Saturday.

“He did a great job investigating in what turned out to be four people trying to pull off a scheme that involved counterfeit $100 bills. As he’s investigating, the subjects make their quick exit to their vehicle in the parking lot trying to get away,” Bucyrus Police Chief Dave Koepke explained during an interview on the WBCO Spotlight with Jim Radke Monday morning.

Caldwell stopped the quartet on East Mansfield Street near U.S. 30. As Lt. Kevin Wert and Officer Jo Stahl arrive to assist Caldwell, they discovered many suspected counterfeit $100 bills, a large amount of cash, and pre-paid cards related to the passing of counterfeit money. Caldwell, Lt. Kevin Wert, and Officer Jo Stahl apprehended the suspects, two adult males and two adult females all hailing from Detroit.

The suspects are currently being investigated for a series of complaints concerning the use of counterfeit money in other communities along the I-75 and U.S. 23 corridor in recent days. The men and women would visit large stores, turn the fake money into pre-paid credit cards, and accumulate real money with exchanges.

“These other towns that were hit – they were Whitehall, Westerville, Huber Heights, Moraine down by Dayton. Upper Sandusky may have been one of the first ones hit, and Brian, Ohio may have been one of the first ones as they came south,” Koepke said. “Last week Upper Sandusky had what appears to be the same subjects go through and scam them for over $2,000 by passing the $100 fakes.”

Koepke said an alert employee at the Bucyrus WalMart denied the transaction right away and called the police department.

“It’s good they got caught finally,” Koepke added.

Other agencies are being contacted and the incident is under investigation. The four suspects are being held at the Crawford County Justice Center.

“In law enforcement news, it seems like the criminals are losing,” Koepke said. “Everyone in this neighborhood around the radio station . . . I did run into some people Sunday making a lot of comments how quiet it was around this neighborhood.”

It wasn’t so quiet Friday afternoon when police converged on 500 E. Warren St. in an act that Koepke said demonstrates the cooperation that goes on among the local law enforcement. The chief said it was part of a long investigation into heroin trafficking.

“It’s community-wide cooperation, working together to stem the tide of addiction and heroin abuse. We’re really happy about that,” Koepke added.

Bucyrus police, assisted by the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, the Galion Police Department, the Crawford County Special Response Team, METRICH, the Crawford County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Bucyrus Fire Department, served a search warrant around 2:30 p.m. on Friday at the Warren Street home. Two Bucyrus men were taken into custody and suspected heroin and related drug paraphernalia were recovered.

Brian A. Auck was charged with drug trafficking and possession of drugs. He was transported to the Crawford County Justice Center to await a hearing.

“You wish (you) could solve something sooner but (there are) limits of doing it right,” Koepke said about the year and a half investigation. “We have to have evidence and evidence moves sometimes, people move . . . That has been a thorn in our side. A lot of complaints about that address. Glad to see it finally culminated.”

Koepke added that the number one cause of death for young people in Bucyrus this year was drug overdoses. Bucyrus police have been trained in administering Nasal Naloxone and Officer Scott Davis has already administered it to two people to save their lives, Koepke said. So far the police department has needed to use Nasal Naloxone five times in overdose cases.

In other police news, officers arrested two women Friday afternoon on Crawford County warrants stemming from indictments from drug offenses. Twenty-seven-year-old Sheena Belcher and 47-year-old Beverly Rice were transported to the Crawford County Justice Center to be held for court.

A Bucyrus officer investigated a suspicious vehicle with an occupant sleeping inside that was parked in the 800 block of South East Street just after 8 a.m. Friday. Twenty-four-year-old Tyler Eber was arrested on charges of possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia. He was issued a summons in court on both charges and released.

Rita Noel, 37, was arrested on a charge of theft by deception and issued a summons to appear in court Friday evening.

Officers responded to s domestic violence complaint in the 300 block of East Rensselaer Street Saturday afternoon. Twenty-seven-year-old Brian Fisher was arrested on charges of domestic violence and was transported to the Crawford County Justice Center to be held for court.

Forty-one-year-old Anthony Brown was arrested in the 100 block of North Highland Avenue Saturday night on a Crawford County warrant. He was issued a date to appear in court and released.